Ring binder mechanism



Feb. 6, 1945. F s HADE 2,368,729

RING BINDER MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1943 INVENTOR/ J6 lbw Jul/LE) fa/r402 Patented Feb. 6, 1945 RING BINDER. MECHANISM Frank Stanley Schade, H61

yoke,fMass., as'signor to National 'Blank Book Company, .Holyoke, I Mass, "a corporation of Massachusetts "Application August" 10, 1943, Serial No. 498,056

This invention relates to loose :leaf binders and :more particularly to the mechanism :by which the leaves are :releasably held in the binder.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a simplified mechanism of sturdy construction, the parts of which may, if desired,

be formed of. wood, plastics, and similar :nonmetallic materials. A further obiect is to secure economies in manufacture of the vparts and in :theirlassembly. a a I Other and iurlther objects residing .in the details of the structure :will be made apparent in the iollowin'gspecification and cla-ims.

:In the accompanying drawing- Fig, .1 is a .plan view of one embodimentlof the invention, parts -of the .case being broken "away; i

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view "of 'the=-struc- :ture shown :in Fig. 1 -j Fig. 3 is a sectional view substantial-1y on line 3-3 of :Fig. 1 showing the parts in ring-closing position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view substantially on..-li-ne 4-4 of Fig. .1, the ring being shown closed;

Fig. '5 is a view similar to .Fig. 3 but withcthe parts shown in ring-opening :position';

Fig. "6 is a sectional view substantially on line 6-4; of Fig. 1, the parts :being shown in lringopening position;

Fig. '7 is a sectional "view =-substantially On line 1-1 of Fig.6, showing a detail of the ring hinge;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to that of 'Fig. 5, but showing a modified form; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view substantially on line,

Referring to the drawing, the binder'case is made up of front and rear cover members I ll hinged to a back panel ll, binder mechanism generally secured, as by rivets I 3.

The binder mechanism comprises a supporting or base member l4 which may be formed of wood, plastic, or other suitable material. Member M is formed with a central groove l in which a looking or ring actuating bar I6 is slidably mounted. Bar I 6 is held in groove l5 by pins I 1 extending transversely of groove l5 and through slots 18 formed in bar I6. The engagement of pins I! with the ends of slots l8 limits the sliding movement of the bar in the groove.

The binder rings 20 are split, the halves being hinged together at to which the ring indicated at I2 is 3 Claims. (CIQTZWZT) [9 to permit the rings to.'be

opened to receive the loose leaf sheets. which the v binder is to accommodate. The rings 20 may be formed of plastic and, as best shown in Fig. 7,

each ring half is formed with a hub member 2|,

V iulcrums 3| :throngh'wlziich n zpintle 22 :the hinge of the ring; "Thezfree ends 'of the'qring halves are preferably provided respectivelywith 'a pin .23 and a: socket 24 which maintain the ring halves imalignment'when the :ring is closed; .The rings are seated in transverse grooves 125 ionm'ed .member M, and the longitudinal agroove 1 5 .is enlarged as at 26 adjacent the-trans verse grooves to accommodate the hubs 21' of the rings. The ends '31 0f the .grooves .25 are elevated above the (center ,portionxand :engage the halves less than from the 1'1inge, "so that the ends of the groove press the .ring halves closed when the rings are wedged :downwardly between them. i

The under :edge of bard 6ris :cut away adjacent each ring, as shown in Figs. 3 to =6 inclusive, to iomn edge portions 2511and 28 'at difl'erent elevationsiirom the bottom of'the :groove 15,?the .por tions T2 and 28 being connected together byand are extensions of fan iinclirred cam edge :29. When the rrings' are closed normal binding position. the hard 6 is positioned as shown in Figs. 3 and-4,

with edge portion 27, engaging the inner circumaferencemf the ring substantially at the hinge,

to :hold the ring wedged ;:between the ends 31 of the j ig IO'OVQ 25. thereby tclosed. PIlhe bottom 30 of groove 25 .is shown substantially {concentric with .the closed ring, but

the ends of the groove 25 are of support.

When it is desired to open the rings for the removal or insertion of filler sheets, the bar I 6 is slid in groove IE to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, so that edge portion 28 overlies the hinge of the ring. In this position the ring the essential points halves may be separated, the edges 3| of the I transverse grooves acting as fulcrums for the] ring halves as the ring hinge moves radially inward in the opening operation until the hinge engages the edge portion opening movement of the ring halves. are thus simultaneously released and multaneously opened by pulling outwardly'on the spread leaves of the filler sheets mounted on the rings, or the rings may be opened individually y grasping the ring halves with the fingers.

As will be evident from Fig. 5, when bar 16 is shifted to the right in that figure, the endof the adj acent hub 2.} will be engaged by the inclined cam edge 29 seated position, as in Figs. 3 and 4. v

Preferably, the ends of hubs 2! are slightly maintaining I the ring,

'28, which limits the The rings maybe siwhich will force the hinge down wardly to close the ring halves about the wedging.

and return the rings to closed and l surface of cam 35, elevating the hinge.

provided with beveled, as indicated at 32, to facilitate the operation of cam 29 in depressing the ring hinge. For convenience in manipulating the bar I6,

1 the body portion I4 is preferably cut away at its ends, as indicated at 33.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the structure previously described is modified by the addition of means for positively opening the rings by movement of the bar 16 to the position shown in Fig. 5. In Figs. 8 and 9 the parts are shown in the position they occupy just prior to completion of the opening movement, in order to better show the relation of the parts. 7 In general the modification in- 'cludes the addition to bar 16 of a cam 35 at each ring position for elevating the ring hinges, and the provision of upper fulcrums 36 about which the ring halves are swung to open position as the] hinge is raised.

, The cam 35 is formed on projection 31 carried by bar l6, and the fulcrums 36 are provided by the rality of split hinged rings, a support therefor provided with transverse grooves in which the rings are respectively mounted, the ends of the grooves forming spaced supporting members, en-

. gaging the outer circumference of the rings on As will be evident from Figs. 8 and 9, when bar I6 is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 8, cam engages beneath hubs 2| as soon as the latter are free of edge2'l. On continued movement of the bar l6 hubs 2| ride up the inclined As the hinge rises, the ring halves'engage fulcrums 36, as indicated in Fig. 9, and continued elevation of the hinges causes the ring halves to swing to open position about the fulcrums. On the return movement of bar it the cam 29 depresses the hinge to swing the ring halves closed about lower fulcrums 3|, as previously described. 1

What I claim is:

1. A ring binder mechanism comprising, a plurality of split hinged rings, 'a support therefor transverse grooves in which the rings are respectively mounted, the ends of the grooves forming spaced supporting members engaging the outer circumference of the rings on opposite sides of the ring hingesat points less than 90 from the hinges, means retaining the rings in the grooves and means engaging the innercircumference of the rings, substantially at the hinge, for wedging the rings between said spaced supporting members to maintain the free opposite sides of the ring hinges at points less than 90 from the hinges, means retaining the rings in the grooves,- a bar mounted on the support and extending through the rings, and earns carried by the bar and engaging the inner circumference of the rings, substantially at the hinges, for wedging the rings between said spaced supporting members to-maintain the free ends of the ring halves in ring-closing engagement, said bar being slidable on the support to release the hinges from the .cams and permit the ring halves to Swing outwardly about said spaced supporting members to .open the rings.

3. A ring binder mechanism comprising an elongated support having a groove extending longitudinally thereof, spaced grooves extendin transversely of the support and intersecting the 'longitudinalgroove, a split hinged ring positioned in each transverse groove with the hinge of the ring at the intersection of the transverse groove and the longitudinal groove, the ends of the transverse grooves forming spaced supporting members engagin the outer circumference of the rings on opposite sides of the ring hinges at points less than 90 fromthe hinges, a'bar mounted in the longitudinal groove and extending through the rings to retain the latter in the transverse grooves, and cams carried by the bar and engaging the inner circumference of the rings, substantially at the hinges, for wedging the rings between said spaced supporting members to maintain the free ends of the ring halves in ringclosing engagement, said' bar being slidable in the groove to release the hinges from the cams and permit the ring halves to swing outwardly about said spaced supporting members to open the rings. I

FRANK STANLEY SCI-IADE. 

